A picture painted on silence
by CyborgCinderella
Summary: Jojo is still a quiet loner, misunderstood and rebellious. When he crosses paths with a mysterious who-girl called Tiffany will he simply shrug off his curiosity, or will he reach out?
1. The shorthand of emotion

Tiffany ran through the alleyway leading to her new home. Rain was already pouring down, soaking into her already dark fur, making the colour seem darker, almost black.

She reached the door of the oddly shaped whoville apartments, and fumbled in her bag for her keys, cursing the weather.

The building she was trying to enter was on the rougher side of Whoville, its paint cracked and peeling, the light outside flickering. It was the kind of place that usually had a shady who leering from the shadows of the doorway. On the whole, Tiffany had mused, it was the best place so far, compared to the _others._

Finally stumbling through the door, Tiffany leaned against it, flicking back her long fringe, which immediately fell back in front of her left eye. Sighing, she headed towards the dented, patched up tube lift. One jolting, shuddering ride later, she found herself at the landing of the 6th floor, in front of apartment number 15. The door was freshly painted purple, shining out against the cracked paint of the hallway. Running a hand through her violet hair Tiffany shook her head. Trust Jake to do that when she was out. Were all older brothers this corny?

Upon entering, she saw him sprawled out on the sofa, a splash of paint on his cheek and matted in his indigo dreds, completely asleep. The who-vision was still on, some movie involving lots of yelling and gunshots blaring on screen. Tiffany saw how tired he looked. Pulling a blanket over her brother, Tiffany turned off the WV and headed for her bedroom, stifling a curse as she stubbed her toe on one of the many boxes that were piled haphazardly around the tiny apartment, waiting to be unpacked.

Limping to her new room, she flopped down on her bed, drying her violet locks with the towel that was thrown across it. Pulling herself to her feet again, she shuffled over to her dresser, to prepare for bed. Seeing the mirror above the dresser, Tiffany gazed at the person reflected there. Her violet side fringe fell over her left eye, forming a long ringlet down to her breastbone. The rest of her hair was short and choppy, cut to different lengths, none reaching her shoulders. A long plait was the only exception, starting at the base of her neck and falling to her lower back. Her pale blue eyes shone alongside her dark hair and were highlighted by the eyeliner smudged around them.

Looking at herself in the semi-darkened room, Tiffany thought she looked almost like her-"Tiff? " a groggy voice drifted in from the main room, breaking Tiffany's train of thought. Reaching her door, she came across the form of her older brother, rumpled on the sofa, blinking blearily from sleep.

Tiffany watched in amusement as Jake tried to extract himself from the blanket tangled around his legs. He only succeeded in twisting it tighter around him, and, losing his balance, he slid off the couch and hit the floor with a thud that toppled a pile of precariously sacked boxes over him.

Tiffany erupted into peals of laughter at the sight of her brother buried underneath all their belongings half-asleep and dazed. Running forward, she helped him to his feet, still giggling at his clumsy accident.

When he finally got to his feet, Jake grinned at Tiffany through his dreadlocks, his bright blue eyes gleaming behind the fog of sleep. For no reason, he suddenly pulled Tiffany into a hug, and then laughed at her surprised expression.

"Hey Tiff, what's with the face?" he grinned at her, ruffling her hair in the way he knew she hated. "It's not like we don't ever hug, so... happy new apartment day!"

Tiffany rolled her eyes at her goofy brother " Your such an idiot" she told him, smoothing her hair, trying not to grin back at him, but failing miserably.

Jake tried to adopt a hurt expression, but gave up when Tiffany finally surrendered to her grin, which was almost identical to his own. He stretched in tiredness, his tall lanky frame towering over his little sister.

"Well Tiffy, I'd love to stay up all night and annoy you, but I have a job to get to tomorrow" Jake said as he yawned again. Tiffany nodded, then frowned slightly "which one?" she asked to her brothers retreating back.

Jake paused thinking "it's Monday, so...the new one in the mayor's office", turning, her grinned again at Tiffany "this is a great paying job, Tiff, and I think I could work my way up, we'll be able to be so much happier"

Tiffany smiled sadly at her brother; shaking her head," I think we're already happy Jake, but I'm so glad that you got this job too." she hugged Jake again, smiling into his turquoise fur. Jake smiled down at his sister. "It's just us, Tiff, so I'm gonna make sure we'll be happy" stepping back Tiffany aimed a punch at his arm, "we already are idiot."

Shaking her head, but still smiling, Tiffany went to bed. She fell asleep almost immediately, but was woken in early morning by strange music. She lay, half awake, her sleepy mind not bothering to worry were it came from, just listening. The music started violent and angry, strong and powerful, it seemed to flow through the streets and push through her half-open window. She sat up, shoving open the window completely, letting the music invade her bedroom and wrap around her. Gazing out into the night, Tiffany felt like she was the only who in the world, only her, and the music lying back down, she let it cover her like a blanket, soothing her to sleep. _And the night was filled with music._

Jojo sat on his bed, back against the wall. In his hands was a jumble of wires and metal parts that he was attempting to turn into a music box. It was his most intricate experiment yet, and his patience was beginning to run out. As one of the pieces slipped _again_, the whole project fell from his hands, bouncing off the bed and landing with a crash on the floor. Jojo stared into space for a moment, listening to the final echo of the crash ring in his ears. Slumping back against the wall, he smacked himself in the forehead, running his hand down his face.

"Fuck it" he muttered, "just fuck it all..." struck by a sudden sour mood, Jojo flung the remaining pieces of the project at the opposite wall, which made him feel worse. Pushing off from his bed, he glared one last time at the half smashed project, before heading out the door, resisting the urge to slam it.

Storming down the hall, he was so immersed in his thoughts that he hardly noticed the small figure in front of him. That is, until he crashed headlong into it. There was a yelp, and a grunt of annoyance from Jojo. When he had brushed himself off, Jojo noticed his 78th sister, Looci rooting on the floor for her glasses. She squinted up at him "daddy?" she asked in a sleepy voice. He raised an eyebrow. Finding her glasses she blinked up at him again "oh, hey Jojo, I thought you were daddy." She giggled "you've gotten really tall. Really, really tall. You were the same size as me last year, I remember..." as Looci rambled on, Jojo rolled his eyes, yes, he knew he was tall, no its wasn't amazing. He could reach the top self of his bookshelf now, big whoop; couldn't everyone just get over it?

He was jolted back to reality when Looci asked "well anyway, why are you here Jojo?" The question rang strangely in his ears until he glanced at the clock at the end of the hall, and was taken aback slightly by the hour. It was twenty-five minutes past four in the morning;_ I've wasted so much time in that danm music box._ He thought, before realising that Looci was still waiting for him to answer.

He had to think fast. He knew he wasn't really allowed to sneak out anymore, and he had his job tomorrow, and he knew Looci would blab on him, if he told her. She could talk the hind leg off just about anything, and would too, if you let her.

So he said what he normally said, which was nothing, and simply pointed to the kitchen, knowing it would start Looci off again. He was right.

"Ooh so you're getting a drink of water, me too! I mean, I did, I get so thirsty at night, you know? Normally daddy gets us..." she continued on this thread of speech for some time, until Jojo waved his hand in front of her face, and she realised that he had led her back to the girls bedroom.

Jojo watched as she obediently scampered off to her bed. Then he continued down the hall, rolling his eyes at his sister's ability to blather on about absolutely nothing. But thinking back on his failed project, his bad mood rose again and he scowled. Swinging out his usual window, he headed to the observatory, making a mental note to _duck_ when he got to the door. He didn't want a crack on the head to add to his already shit mood. Music would sort it out, it always did. _Music is the shorthand of emotion._


	2. Friend?

_**Well here it is, second chapter. Sorry for taking so long, hit a bit of a writers block and I've been so busy with school and stuff.**_

_**I'd like to say "Ohmygodthankyousosomuch" to hitsukarin, who gave me the BEST review EVER! Thank you so much, that review made my day :D seriously.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

Tiffany awoke to the sound of a bluebird singing on her windowsill. Groaning, she peered groggily at her bedside clock; it was half ten. Stretching, she scowled at the clock and flopped back onto her bed, savouring the last few moments of warmth, before dragging herself out into the kitchen. Sleepily she poured a cup of coffee, and switched on the radio. Balancing the mug on one finger, Tiffany began preparing her breakfast, waking up as the smell of it filled the kitchen space. Sitting down with her plate of eggs, she saw a note on the table. It was from Jake.

Hey Tiff!

I had 2 leave early for work, so this is your "good morning from me". I get an hour off for lunch, around 1, so we can have a picnic for it! There's a park right by here! Seeya then

Jake x

Rolling her eyes, Tiffany finished her breakfast. It was just like Jake to say they could have a picnic, but it was obviously her who was going to have to prepare it. Shaking her head she pushed back from the table, set on unpacking some boxes before noon. But first...grabbing a hairbrush, Tiffany brushed her hair. From her waist down, she was striped black and violet, and from the hips up she was a smooth, deep purple. She hardly ever dyed it, so it was very fine and soft.

Her arms, legs and face were almost ebony white, just a little lighter than Jake's. She smiled. Jake always said that she was the prettiest who-sister in the whole world. She rolled her eyes, thinking of her sap of a brother. But in some ways he was right. She knew what would have happened to her if he left without her all those years ago, what she would be doing now because of the way she looked... Tiffany shook herself, frowning. This isn't the time to be brooding she told herself, shrugging it off.

After unpacking a dozen boxes, Tiffany finally came across the one she was looking for. It was a box of photos, mostly of her and Jake, their identical grins shining out of every page, in every home they had ever lived in. There was even a couple of when she was too small to remember, playing hide and seek in a cardboard box that doubled as her bed. She didn't even want to know how Jake had gotten the camera to take that... and there were her sketchbooks. Drawing was Tiffany's passion in life; she drew everything, who's, dreams, and stories. She drew to express her emotions, everything she couldn't explain with word, anything she couldn't talk about with Jake, or just to feel good. She loved the way her hand flowed across the page, the way she felt in that moment, the difference of each picture.

Looking up from leafing through her sketchbook, Tiffany glanced at the time, and blinked in shock. It was almost half twelve. Scrambling to her feet, Tiffany hastily packed ingredients for a picnic into a backpack, and grabbed her keys.

She ran from the apartment and out of the building, which didn't look so bad in broad daylight, and ran through the narrow streets. Stopping at the main street she hopped on the public who-bus to the main square. She had never been there before, and was actually excited.

Jumping from the W-bus before it stopped, Tiffany walked the rest of the way to the square, and stopped in the centre. It was huge, with delicate archways around the premier.

Whos lounged in the park, kite-flying and having picnics. The grass was lush and green, and the water in the fountains sparkled in the sunlight. The square rang with laughter and happy voices,_ its perfect_ she thought, smiling in incredulity.

Then the town hall was right in front of her. It wasn't the tallest building in Whoville, but its paint shone and the crest of Whoville gleamed in the sun. Jake was nowhere to be seen, so Tiffany decided that she had better go look for him. Cautiously approaching the building, Tiffany climbed the steps to the large double doors, and found herself in an impressive entrance hall. The ceiling stretched high above, and the Whoville crest was a mural in gold leaf in the centre of the floor, with the town motto circling it.

Doors branched off left and right, and there was a line of lifts along one wall. Tiffany stood, clutching her bag, completely at odds for where to go. She started for a random door, before pulling back. She was in the town hall, the _mayor's offices_, who knew what important meetings she could barge in on?

She was about to give up and wait for Jake on the steps, when there was a slight cough behind her. Whirling around, Tiffany saw a who around her own age behind her. Her was slumped slightly, his hands in his pockets, so he was taller than he seemed right away. He was staring at her beneath an overgrown, choppy fringe. His eyes were dark, almost black, with dark shadows circling them.

There was something different about him, something that she couldn't put her finger on right away. After staring at him for a few more seconds, she had gotten it. He wasn't smiling.

Jojo woke with a start. For a moment he didn't know where he was. Dazed, he looked around and realized that he was in the observatory, slumped over his modified guitar. Smiling sleepily, he picked out a few rifts, enjoying the sound of music and the warm sun on his face. Wait a minute...sun? Jojo jumped to his feet, guitar crashing to the ground, strings twanging loudly. Spinning around Jojo saw the massive clock he had built the year before, using other old clocks, with the time pointed out in its oddly shaped hands. He blinked _12:45! _Almost tumbling down the steps from the raised platform, Jojo slapped himself awake as he cycled through the streets of Whoville, cursing to himself on being late for work. Again.

"Shit! Fifteenth time this month! " he muttered, ditching his bike in the park and walking swiftly up to the town hall, "not that I care but..."

Taking a moment outside the building, Jojo caught his breath and shoved his hands in his pockets. Now that he was late, he might as well pretend that he intended to be so in the first place. Running a hand over his face, Jojo ran up the steps to the building. In the entrance hall, he found an unfamiliar who standing with her back to him. She seemed completely unaware of his presence; her attention focused on the doors in front of her, and seemed to have no idea where she was supposed to be. Every few minutes, she would reach out a hand, before yanking it back, muttering to herself. She seemed to be thinking, because she paused, twisting her fingers. He took in her appearance, from where he stood. The end of her long plait danced whenever she moved her head, drawing attention to her slim waist... _Jojo, dude pull yourself together, you're late for work!_ He thought furiously to himself. Then he shook his head, _that's no excuse._

Shuffling his feet, he coughed slightly, which caught her attention. Turning around, she spotted him and they locked gaze, sizing each other up. Her eyes shone like sapphires, dazzling him and she was frowning slightly, like she was thinking. The girl shuffled, blushing, and he just kept staring at her. He knew it was rude, but he just didn't know what to say, he never said anything. Thankfully, she spoke first. "Erm, ah, hey, do you know what office Jake La Roo works at?" she asked, smiling nervously. _ Whos Jake?_, thought Jojo before shrugging. He didn't know him, why should he care? Seeing his shrug, the girl sighed, shifting the bag she was holding to the other hand. "Well, is there anywhere I could go to find him?"

Jojo thought for a moment. He could ask his dad, he probably wouldn't mind, unless somebody had called him a 'boob' in the last four hours, which they probably had. Shrugging again, he motioned for her to follow him, and headed for one of the lifts.

Trotting after him, the girl spoke again, "oh, ok. By the way, my names Tiffany." Looking over his shoulder, Jojo nodded, but offered no reply. He wasn't in the mood to talk to a complete stranger, no matter how nice they seemed.

Walking from the lift, into the office, Jojo spotted someone that he didn't recognise. A tall who that looked in his twenties was leaning against a desk, talking to a pretty she-who with an elaborate green ponytail. He was grinning at the girl, who seemed mesmerized and was giggling. There was an aggravated sigh from behind Jojo and he turned to see Tiffany rolling her eyes, her fingers tapping on the handle of the bag. Marching over to the pair, she started talking to the he-who, who looked slightly annoyed at being cut off from his conversation with the green girl, but his expression soon changed to one of guilt in the face of Tiffany's wrath.

Walking closer, Jojo could hear them talking, or arguing. "Jake, I didn't come all the way across Whoville to walk in on you flirting with some piece of fur!" Jake made a noise in the back of his throat, and she relented a little.

"ok, I'm sure she's nice, but I'm annoyed. _And _you're late!" Her arms were folded and the glare she was giving Jake could kill small animals. Jake shuffled uncomfortably under her angry look, and opened his mouth to speak. Then he spotted Jojo, peering over Tiffany's shoulder, and grinned at him, then back at her, which caught her off guard.

"So if I'm not allowed to talk to people, who's this then?" he asked Tiffany in lofty voice. Jakes question caught Tiffany off guard and she whirled around, to look at Jojo.

"em ,this is...em..." she leaned towards Jojo "what's your name?" she asked awkwardly. Jojo stared at her, and blinked. She was almost nose to nose with her, her crystal blue eyes distracting him. He cleared his throat "I'm Jojo" he supplied, his voice cracking. He blushed, but she just grinned at him.

"It's Jojo,"she answered to Jake smugly, turning back around, and Jake smiled, rolling his eyes.

"Tiff, I know I said we could go for a picnic, but I promised..." he looked back at the giggling green she-who questionly, who blushed.

"Emilee" she sighed, and almost squealed when Jake winked at her.

"ya, Emilee. I promised Emilee I would go have coffee with her"

Tiffany raised an eyebrow, and leaned close to Jake, whispering something in his ear. He chuckled, "I hadn't thought of that" he said, and then turning back to the girl 'Emilee', "Hey babe, coffee's not really my thing. What d'ya say we have a picnic instead? "

Emilee agreed instantly, and Jojo wondered if she even heard Jake say anything, she seemed so dazed. Tiffany scowled, knowing now she would be the third wheel.

Jake saw her and face and ruffled her hair "don't worry Tiff; you can bring your friend."

Jojo blinked -_**friend**_?- The word had never occurred to him, and judging by Tiffany's expression, it had thrown her a little too. But she shook it off and nervously smiled at him, "we'd better head down then" she said, "do you know any good spots in the park?"

Jojo, still a little confused on how he was suddenly classified friends with this girl, nodded mutely. Grabbing his wrist and pulling him towards the lift, she looked back at his surprised face and raised an eyebrow.

"Hey if we're gonna be friends, you'll have to speak sometime" she said seriously, but her eyes betrayed the laughter beneath the statement.

Jojo nodded again, but all he could think about was how delicate her fingers were around his wrist. If she was going to keep distracting him like this, it was going to be very hard getting a word out of him.

_**Ok, sorry about the ending there, not very good, I know. I'll try and get the next chapter up sooner than I did this one.**_

_**Please, please, please review. I'm begging you people. The only reason I did carried on with this story was because of that amazing review. I'm not even asking for something like that, I'm asking for ANYTHING, a smiley face, a single word.**_

_**I can't give you a cookie, but it'll make me smile :D **_


	3. Darkness

**Oh my gods guys I'm so sorry, its been forever since ****I uploaded, I have many excuses but I wont bother. I'm really gonna try to upload more, and I'll tell you if there's gonna be a delay.**

**I hope this is ok, enjoy!**

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><p>Tiffany ran ahead of Jojo, into the park. She glanced back and could see him trudging behind her. She rolled her eyes, and stopped to wait for him. When he finally reached her, she started walking again, matching his pace. She felt like she should say something and looked around for a topic. She hated starting conversations. Or meeting new people, even if she really wanted a friend. She put on a facade for Jake at the office, but really she would rather be sitting drawing in a corner.<p>

She pulled her plait over her shoulder and started twisting it absent-mindedly, chancing a look at Jojo. He was looking back at her, and she blushed and averted her eyes. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him go tomato red, the shade startling against his pale fur. A giggle bubbled up her throat and escaped before she clapped her hands over her mouth.

Jojo looked up, surprised. She was laughing at him! The confusion and embarrassment made him blush more, only increasing her giggles.

"w-what's so funny?" he asked hesitantly, bringing a hand up to cover his face. Tiffany giggled harder, her eyes sparkling in laughter, the sound of it muffled by her hands.

Tiffany saw the confusion in Jojo's eyes and felt slightly cruel, and attempted to stop. Taking a few deep breaths she shook her head and grinned, shrugging her shoulders.

"It's nothing, really" she assured, and turned to look around the park. "Where do you think we should-?"

"Jojo! Joooooooooojo!"

Tiffany was cut off by shrieks, rising from a crowd of who-girls, who were running towards them. They piled on top of Jojo, who disappeared beneath the swarm with no other comment then, "Damn..."

Tiffany watched as Jojo toppled under the weight of the small Whos, hitting to ground with another muffled curse. She stepped forward, wondering if she could do something, when another voice rose above the others.

"Looci! Fooci! Sooci! Kadi! Sadi! Jadi! Maci! Bebee! Veecee! Hilda! Hedi! Jedi! All of you! Get off your brother!"

The shout came from a slightly stressed looking ginger who, who came running in the wake of the girls. Immediately the girls stopped harassing Jojo and jumped awkwardly off him, standing guiltily in front of the fuming she-who, who stood arms crossed and glaring.

"Girls! Seriously, this happens every time we go out! Once again, there is no need to attack your brother, or father, every time you see them!"

Finished with her rant, she sighed and ran a hand through her hair, turning to Jojo and seeing Tiffany trying to help him up.

"Jojo, who's this?" she asked, surprised, a small smile gracing her features.

Jojo froze, toppling back onto the grass. His mother chuckled and shook her head.

"Seriously Jojo, don't overreact." Turning to Tiffany, she held out a hand "Hello, I'm Sally McDodd, Jojo's mom. You are..?"

Tiffany shook sally's hand firmly, like Jake had thought her, and tried to look her in the eye.

"H-hello Mrs. McDodd, I'm Tiffany. I just met Jojo today, my brother works in the office"

Sally raised an eyebrow, but decided to believe her story. As long as Jojo was talking to somebody, she was happy.

The family moved on, leaving Tiffany and Jojo standing in awkward silence. Tiffany was the first to break it.

"So...they're all your sisters?"

"Not even half"

"Woh...you must have some stories then."

"I do."

"Tell me."

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><p>Later, Tiffany walked along the grubby hallway, her mind filled with funny stories and family tales. She and Jojo had talked for hours, until the sun sank low in the sky, dying it a deep red, and Tiffany had to go.<p>

He told stories with difficulty, like he wasn't used to speaking, his tongue tripping over words and mixing up sentences. She could see it bothered him, but it wasn't a real impediment. They talked about their childhood, Tiffany trying to avoid giving anything away. She was scared that if he knew about the real her and not the face she put on for the world, he would stop talking to her, walk away like everyone else had done.

She hoped she hadn't seemed like she didn't want to share her life with him, because she did. There was something about Jojo, his quiet smile that made her feel like he would keep all her secrets, all her fears safe and never tell a soul. But how was she to know?

The corridor was dim and for a few minutes she was sidetracked with her keys, struggling to turn them in the rusty lock, annoyed Jake wasn't opening the door.

"Jake, didn't you hear me, or are you just too lazy to get off your ass and-" swinging open the door, Tiffany was met with a dark, empty room. Her heart sank. All thoughts of Jojo disappeared and her mind spun into overdrive.

Jake was always home before her. It wasn't a working night, was it? She scanned the kitchen table for a note, checked the fridge, answering machine, anything that could prove that he wasn't there for a reason. In the pit of her stomach, a sick feeling rose.

Of course, he was probably at that girls place. It made sense.

It didn't stop her slamming the door, hands nervously fumbling at the locks until they clicked satisfyingly in their chambers. Leaning against the fresh painted wood, Tiffany took a deep breath, mentally running through a list of reasons why Jake wasn't home.

**_He's at that girl's house, its ok..._**

At the very end of this list, was the reason she was now shivering on the couch, staring blankly at the blaring WV. Every few minutes she would glance at the clock, or walk over to the window and back. She jumped at the smallest of sounds, the building creaking, footsteps of the people living upstairs.

**_I'm sure he's there...he must be_**

The hours rolled on and tears and begun to gather at the corner of Tiffany's eyes. She had given herself a headache worrying, and lay on her back on the couch in the still-dark apartment. She daren't turn on any light since she had come in and just stared at the ceiling until it the darkness had clouded her vision.

_**Isn't he**?_

Suddenly, a shrill, piercing sound filled the dark room, giving Tiffany such a fright that she fell off the couch. Getting to her feet, she saw the phone ringing, the sound alien in the quiet darkness.

Hesitantly, she picked it up, the last ring cut off suddenly and left dying in the gloom.

"H-hello?" she whispered, her voice cracking slightly. Silence filled the other end of the line and her heart beat faster.

Then, "Tiff?" it was Jake, his voice warm and reassuring, filling her with relief. "Is that you? You sound weird... did I wake you?"

Tiffany felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, and tried not to let her happiness show in her voice. "Yeah, you just woke me."

And as she listened to her brothers' voice, a smile etched on her lips, music crept into the dark apartment, seeming to come from the night itself.

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><p><strong>well, there you are.<strong>

**its not very good, but please leave a comment. I'm writing it for you guys so please give me a reason to continue! ^^**


	4. Nothin' like family

**hey guys, wow I'm really sorry I havent undated in ages, and this is the best reviewed story i have. I love you guys, thanks for reading and reviewing! and i know some of you do actually want me to finish this, so I'm really gonna try. After the exams I'm gonna do a load of writing, so expect alot more chapters! XD**

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><p>Jojo watched Tiffany walk out of the park, waiting until she was out of sight before letting himself smile. It felt strange.<p>

Hoisting himself to his feet, he made his way home, ignoring the bike he had abandoned on the steps of the hall. He had wanted a new project anyway, since the music box seemed a disaster.

He walked through the streets of Whoville; ignoring the neighbourly Whos calling good evening by staring at the blood-red sky, although everyone else in town would call it "strawberry". Sometimes this town is just too PG, he thought scornfully.

He savoured the silence, humming quietly to himself as he thought about his day, pulling notes randomly from his head. The sound came out happy, and he wondered if it was because of Tiffany.

She fascinated him. There was something...different about her. She was unlike the regular clones; there was something behind the happiness. He saw it when he talked about his family. For a moment her smile faded and there was a glimmer of wistfulness in her bright blue eyes, he was sure of it.

Then she laughed, expression lighting up her face. Her laugh was a melody all on its own. He hoped she hadn't noticed him staring, but for some reason he couldn't look away. He hated eye contact, but her eyes were mesmerising, and he blushed remembering how he had stuttered as he gazed at her. He wasn't used to talking at the best of times but today he could barley string together a sentence.

She hadn't seemed to notice and, amazingly, he had had a good time. It had been a long time since he had sat with someone and been so content. He was aware he had talked about himself a lot, and too late he realised he knew barley anything about her, not even her phone number. Who was she really?

Thinking back, he realised all her stories were very vague, hardly any mention of place, or family. She hadn't said where she had lived before she moved to Whoville.

It struck him how little he knew of her. Surely after spending an entire day he should know something? He frowned, deep in thought.

Maybe he had just taken up the whole day talking about himself, and he blushed in embarrassment again. No, he hadn't talked that much...had he?

He was still thinking about this as he walked down the manicured path to the McDodd house. The sky was growing cold and grey and the bright lights of the big house seemed cosy and welcoming.

Jojo took a deep breath, prepared himself and opened to door. All at once, he was attacked by the majority of his family, piling on top of him in a giant dog pile.

"For fricks sake..." he muttered under his breath as he hit the floor with a thud. He waited until the giggles had subsided before getting up, brushing off sisters like rubble. He didn't know why the girls had developed an attack-any-male-family-member-on-sight gene, but it was getting annoying. And painful.

"Son!" Ned McDodd appeared from the kitchen, dodging several shrieking daughters and jumping over an attempted dog pile of giggling girls. He had a lot more practice of dodging the girls then Jojo.

Ned looked stern, his usual cheery smile and sunny demeanour nowhere to be seen.

"Jojo, where were you today, you weren't at breakfast and you never showed up at work and- not now sweetie daddy's talking to Jojo- do you have a reason your behaviour? I can't-honey I'll see that in a minute- I can't hold down this job for you, you have to show up sometime."

Ned said all this while surrounded by chattering daughters, his berating frequently interrupted by insistent little girls.

Jojo looked at his father. Ned mc Dodd looked tired, extremely so. Here and there tufts of hair were beginning to go grey, and yet his eyes were bright and currently a spark of anger replaced their usual twinkle.

As always, Jojo was lost for words. He didn't want to say he had met a girl; he'd never live down the questions, the awkward talk about her with his father. She was only a friend after all (well, so far) but he'd never believe that.

So he shrugged, and looked away, and his father sighed, just like all the other times he'd tried to talk with him. Ever since the...Horton incident, there was a feeling that something should have changed, but it hadn't.

Whoville had pretty much gone back to the same as before, and the Horton incident had gone down as a freak accident in history, making Ned mc Dodd one of the greats and Jojo something of a local hero. It had died down after a year though, and the town has reverted back to its "nothing ever goes wrong" ways, constantly pretending that everything was ok.

Jojo knew the reason for his father's tiredness and stress was late nights spent in the office, covering up something that had gone wrong, making sure that the facade of perfection was maintained, so that the people of Whoville felt constantly safe, that their identical smiles remained stable.

Sure, there were a few neurotic Whos about, sometimes Jojo herd his dad making frantic phone calls about them late at night, discussing what to do about the Whos that knew what was really going on, or claimed the sky was falling. He never saw any of them; they were either taken away or banned from the town, to the "other side" of Whoville. Jojo had never been there, and from the whispered conversations he half-heard from his father's office, he didn't want to.

Then of course, part of his stress might have been Jojo's fault. -Might?-, thought Jojo, of course it was.

Jojo barley talked to his father, the years of awkward silence making it hard for them to even exchange a "good morning". It wasn't like he didn't want to talk to his dad, and even as he watched Ned walk away, loaded down with his younger sisters, he fought the urge to call out to him. He wanted to apologise, to tell him about his day. He wanted to admit to him his little crush on Tiffany, to ask how to deal with it. Maybe if he told him, Ned would act like a normal father and give a sincere smile and not one of his "overly-jolly-mayor" ones and have a nice casual chat with him, not make it into one of their "talks". But how did he know what would happen? It was better to have silence then a shared awkwardness, wasn't it?

As he stood in the entrance of the mc Dodd manor, Jojo became aware of someone behind him. Turning, he saw his mother standing quietly, a small slightly sad smile on her face. She held her arms out to Jojo and as he accepted his hug he realised he was taller than her. It came as a slight shock to him, as it always him whenever he remembered it.

When she stood back, she shook her head gently and brushed back his shaggy black hair.

"Jojo...your dad just wants to look after you. You have to try and communicate, he won't be here forever." She said softly, advising him like she had done so many times before.

Jojo sighed and ran a hand down his face, causing Sally to smile, the gesture so similar to his fathers.

"I...I know mom, it's just... I can't, I don't know what to say..." he mumbled, looking down at his feet, embarrassed to be confessing to his mother that he didn't know what to say to his own father, the man who always made time for him and started every possible conversation.

Even when Ned had stopped pressuring Jojo to be mayor there was no change. There was still mention of being mayor of course, over school grades which were mainly C's, except in construction and music, over his attitude. They were all one sided and Jojo never had the guts to tell his father that he still didn't want to be mayor, that the job would be better for one of his sisters, like Salina who was all for politics or Ruth who was the smartest who in Whoville NS.

Like he would ever listen anyway. But Jojo was close to his mom, and Sally's soft brown eyes and caring smile reassured him like they always did.

"Jojo, neither does he, not really. Someday your both going to have to learn about each other, and it's going to be soon I'm sure." She patted him on the cheek and started walking down the hallway calling over her shoulder as she went. "You missed dinner, but there's leftovers in the fridge, take them and don't spend all night in the observatory."

Jojo smirked, his mother had known he had stolen away to the observatory every night long before Ned had ever had the notion that Jojo even could climb out a window.

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><p><em>thanks for reading, please please review ^^<em>


	5. Morning thoughts and familiar silence

**wow, look its an update thats on time! hope you guys enjoy it, and please tell me what you think!**

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><p>The first rays of sun were lighting the sky when Jake arrived home, creeping into the apartment, with the well practiced stride of one used to not making a sound. He walked softly across the room, feet padding on the worn carpet. He was halfway across the room when something caught his eye.<p>

Tiffany was slumped over the rickety kitchenette table, coffee cup in hand, cheek pressed against the cold plastic. He sighed, taking in her bitten nails and wrinkled brow. Gently, he took the cup from her hand, walking over to the sink to pour the ice-cold coffee down the drain. Leaning against the counter, he looked at his little sister, frowning in concern.

He had stayed out too late, but had been too...preoccupied to check the time. Once he had, Jake knew Tiffany would be freaking out. He had known by the sound of her voice on the phone she was scared, but he would never admit it, and neither would she. And she would never admit to waiting up, just in case Jake didn't come home.

Jake felt guilty. Tiffany was supposed to be the teenager, staying out late, making him worry, not the other way around. Truth be told, Jake hadn't had much of an adolescence either, too much of it take up with raising Tiffany, making sure they had a place to sleep, that she had enough to eat. Even if it meant that he had to go hungry. He didn't regret it for a second, but she shouldn't have to grow up as fast as he did.

Reaching up to the top of the cupboard, Jake extracted a box of cigarettes, waiting until he opened a window before lighting one. Tiffany hated him smoking, so he kept it a secret. It was only one every so often, and everyone has things they keep to themselves, right?

Leaning out the window, Jake blew the blue smoke into the grey sky, the smell reminding him of countless bars and clubs he had worked in. They didn't have that kind of thing in Whoville, obviously. It was all balls and soirées here.

He watched the sun rise, reasoning that if he had to get up in two hours there was no point in going to bed. Maybe that Emilee girl would bring him a coffee or something later. If she was even going to speak to him, that is.

All he knew is, it definitely wasn't his fault that her boyfriend decided to call around at half twelve at night. He just gave thanks for the fire escape outside the window. He was on the street and running before she could begin to panic. Girls on this side of town might be a little more reserved, a little better at acting, but they were all the same really.

He took one last drag of the cigarette, before flicking the butt out into the now daylight sky. Secreting the box back to its hiding place, he glanced at the clock and then at his sister.

He went to her room and got her alarm clock, winding it up and placing it next to her ear. Then he flicked on the kettle and headed to the bathroom, counting down the seconds until his plan came into action. Sure enough, as he switched on the shower, the alarm went off, and Tiffany and the kettle screamed in unison.

He chuckled, what a lovely way to start the day.

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><p>Jojo could see Tiffany lying under their tree as he approached. After a month, it was their meeting place, their chosen spot to sit and view the world. To the rest of Whoville, it was "that tree where those two weirdoes' hang out".<p>

He smiled as she sat up and waved, jogging the last few places. He was on his break, and so was she, an hour in which they could spend together. It was his fabourite part of the day.

He flopped down beside her, sighing, and they shared a moment of silence. They had a lot of these moments. Anyone else would call it awkward, but not Jojo. It was a friendly silence, a hush in conversation in which they would think, or draw or just observe the park. Several times during these quiet breaks between talking, Jojo had caught Tiffany staring at him while scribbling in her sketchbook. Whenever he caught her, she would blush and hug her sketchbook to her chest, refusing to show him.

Tiffany smiled as Jojo sat beside her. The past month had been...perfect, really, meeting under the pink trufulla tree every day. She had gotten a job in a cafe, and she was getting more and more confident that Whoville could become her home. Her days with Jojo flew by. He had shown her around Whoville, and she had been surprised to find that he could draw, just as much as he had to discover that she could had told him, her family were almost bred to be singers...among other things.

he didn't really draw like she did though, he drew perfectly measured blueprints and designs, or scores of music. He often got frustrated over these, and once stormed off in anger over a blueprint of a music box that looked perfect to Tiffany. He came back fifteen minutes later with ice creams and an apology.

Jake had noticed Tiffany spending time with Jojo, and had taken every opportunity to tease her about it. His jibes got Tiffany flustered, because whatever she might say, she was beginning to like Jojo a little.

Ok more than a little.

Now, as they sat there in silence Jojo was, most unusually, the one to break it.

"um, y'know my family?" he asked, slightly hesitantly. Tiffany looked at him and raised an eyebrow. She had, last week, discovered that Jojo was the son of the mayor, and had nearly freaked out. It had evolved to a long talk about how Jojo didn't want to be mayor, and why and now Tiffany knew almost as much as Jojo about te mayor and his work.

"...yes?"

Jojo shifted uncomfortably.

"They, ah, want to meet you..." he mumbled.

"You told them about me?" asked Tiffany, blinking in surprise. Jojo blushed.

"In a way..."

Jojo had, in fact, kept Tiffany a secret from his family, but with ninty-nine members, secrets are hard to keep, and little sisters with big mouths had betrayed his covert friendship to his parents. At the dinner table. In front of everybody. And they had used the world "girlfriend". It had taken a whole hour to convince his parents that she wasn't, and another for them to convince him to invite her to dinner.

It had taken him so long to ask, not because Jojo was afraid that his family would embarrass him. He was afraid that Tiffany would say no.

And so it was with bated breath that Jojo asked "Will you come to dinner?"

Tiffany seemed to think, and for a moment a look of doubt crossed her face and Jojo's heart plunged. But then she grinned at him.

"That would be...really nice Jojo, I'd love to." She said sincerely, and Jojo sighed in relief, feeling like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

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><p><strong>this was supposed to be two separate chapters, but the first one was too short, and the i didnt want to wait a whole week for fear od losing readers : so you get two in one!**

**please please review!**


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